For most pharmacists, Pharmacy Week was very low key this year. It arrived just after the PSSA had been informed that it had lost the pricing regulations court case, and morale was at its lowest. Despite this, pharmacists realised that their commitment to their clients remained central to their practice. Many pharmacies, both community and hospital, participated in this opportunity to spotlight their role in health care. They documented their activities and sent them to the PSSA

Part 1 – Australia

Representatives from community pharmacy organisations in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America recently met in Montreal, Canada. Clive Stanton, President of the Community Pharmacy Sector of the PSSA, and Gary Köhn, Vice President, attended the meeting. Among other relevant topics, pharmacy trends, developments in the pharmacist’s extended role, tariffs, fees and Government involvement were discussed

Andy Gray addressed the NAPW Conference on the status of HIV and AIDS in this country. Extracts are produced here with his permission.

Barriers to determining HIV (or AIDS) incidence HIV infection is initially a mostly “silent” condition. There is an initial ’flu-like illness, followed by a long period of asymptomatic infection. Therefore, in order to measure a true incidence, it is necessary to repeatedly test the population at risk. This is not feasible on a population level, but it can be used as a research tool, e.g.

There are a myriad of cultures in the workplace, each having its own set of values, norms and expectations. The challenge to South African leaders is to blend Western and African approaches to leadership to meet the diverse cultural expectations of their stakeholders. Identifying and applying this unique formula should optimise satisfaction and performance. But first . . .

The progressive and potentially fatal nature of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum in travellers means that it should be considered a medical emergency. Any patient presenting with a fever and symptoms of influenza or gastro-enteritis within six months of return from a malarious area should be regarded as having malaria until proven otherwise. A negative blood smear or rapid antigen test does not exclude the diagnosis, and repeat testing should be performed until malaria or a firm alternative diagnosis is made. Complicated malaria must be differentiated from uncomplicated malaria and referred for urgent expert treatment. Uncomplicated malaria should be closely monitored for clinical and parasitological improvement. Failure to improve or deterioration warrant urgent referral.

Most South African travellers visiting sub-Saharan countries to the north will require protection against malaria. This should include personal protection measures (PPM) and chemoprophylaxis. PPM include: N,N-diethyl-M-toluamide (DEET) based insect repellent, clothing (preferably impregnated with permethrin) that minimises skin exposure, bed nets, screening and use of knock down and residual application insecticides in rooms. Reliance on PPM alone will be insufficient for most malarious destinations. Currently available chemoprophylactic drugs in general use in South Africa are mefloquine, doxycycline, and atovaquone-proguanil. All three are highly efficacious, but attention must be given to drug contraindications when prescribing for an individual traveller. No prophylactic regimen is 100% effective, and all travellers who develop a fever or an influenza-like illness within six months of return should seek urgent medical attention and be tested for malaria.

The spectrum of diseases presented in this article covers benign common conditions with variable etiology as well as some diseases caused by fungi, viruses, bacteria and ectoparasites.

It really feels as though 2004 forced us to live an entire year in every month. Not that time has dragged. On the contrary, somehow we’ve crammed a year’s mental and emotional activity into 30 days. No wonder we’re all exhausted right now. (Unfortunately, the same didn’t happen when I went to England on holiday – that time flew past so fast, and its effects were negated so quickly, that I need a holiday again.) Looking back on the year, I feel like Alice – our world has turned into a Wonderland where nothing is familiar anymore. And very little makes sense. (You remember Lewis Carroll, don’t you?)

The 25th Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences Conference was hosted by the Faculty of Pharmacy at Rhodes University in Grahamstown from 12-15 September 2004. Plenary lectures by 9 International guests resulted in a record 205 delegates registering for the Silver Jubilee Conference. Unfortunately, one of the plenary speakers for Monday, Professor Albert Wertheimer did not make it to South Africa, however, Dr Victor Yanchick, Dean of Pharmacy from the Virginia Commonwealth University and Dr Betty Patterson from University of North Dakota, Fargo were present to discuss aspects of the Doctor of Pharmacy programme and the impact of clinical interventions in practice, respectively.

Picture a colon 23 cm in diameter, so impacted with faecal material that there is only a 1 cm thick opening for fresh faecal material to pass through. This is what an American doctor, Dr Bernard Jensen, claimed he often saw in autopsies and this is what led him to believe that the colon is too often neglected and why colon hydrotherapy has merit. He is the author of the book Tissue Cleansing through Bowel Movement.

Colon hydrotherapy is an established complementary and alternative therapy and is increasingly practiced in South Africa. This article will explore the basics of colon hydrotherapy or colon irrigation. Although it may not appeal to all people, proponents of this therapy claim that they feel rejuvenated, detoxified and refreshed after a therapy session. One of the famous proponents of colon hydrotherapy was Diana, Princess of Wales.